Tim Kaine: 'Bring back pre-existing conditions’ is one helluva bumper sticker,'

[bigtree]

. . . if they want to use it."


from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/03/23/your-morning-jolt-dnc-chair-says-bring-back-pre-existing-conditions-will-make-a-helluva-bumper-sticker/

Excerpts from interview with Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, at the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Atlanta (Associated Press)

Q: CNN has a poll that says 59 percent of Americans oppose the health care bill just passed. What do you tell Georgia Democrats, especially those running for office?

Kaine:When the bill is signed, then certain things happen and people start to see it. The other side has put so much dust in the air that polling generally about health care might say something, but in terms of the particular provisions – look, seniors in Georgia are going to start getting a break on prescription drugs purchases immediately.

Small businesses are going to start to get a tax break immediately to help cover costs that many of them are already incurring, to insure their employees. Parents will be able to keep their kids on their policy until they’re age 26. That’s a couple months down the road, but that is of huge importance.

And some of the most abusive insurance practices – pre-existing condition, lifetime benefit caps, which push people into bankruptcy – those will be made illegal this year.

There are solid benefits that Americans will see right away. Then they’ll look around and say, “Gosh, the other guy said there would be a death panel.” Well, there isn’t. “They said I’d have to change my doctor. It’d be some bureaucrat telling me who my doctor is.” That’s not happening. So all the bogeyman arguments the other guys created were fiction, and the American public will see that.

I think people will figure out pretty quickly that it was largely insurance industry-generated hype that the Rs were basically shilling, and it was basically inaccurate.

Q: So you’re willing to let Republicans chase repeal of health care legislation?

Kaine: I encourage it. ‘Bring back pre-existing conditions’ is one helluva bumper sticker, if they want to use it. Alf Landon campaigned on repeal of Social Security in 1936….

Q: Gov. Sonny Perdue is demanding that all Democrats running for office should be asked whether they favor the Barack Obama/Nancy Pelosi health care system.

Kaine: I think all the Republican candidates should be asked, “Do they want to be nonstop shills for the insurance industry rather than help people solve their health care needs.”

The Democratic party – we’re the problem-solvers. The other guys stood on the sideline, and they threw rocks, and they whipped up all this opposition with money from the insurance industry to help them. They had a chance to constructively participate.

I think there’s going to be clear accountability. The American public is going to reward problem-solvers, and they’re going to punish those who basically decided to – I think it’s almost an abdication of your oath of office, to just decide you’re going to throw rocks.

Q: Are you going to celebrate in your speech tonight?

Kaine: Yeah, I’m going to celebrate. Democrats have Social Security, they have Medicaid/Medicare, they have the Civil Rights bills up on the mantle – as things that are really important, that Democrats did. This is going to be one of those, 50 years from now.


read more: http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/03/23/your-morning-jolt-dnc-chair-says-bring-back-pre-existing-conditions-will-make-a-helluva-bumper-sticker/

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[Oceansaway]

2. K&R...n/t

[msongs]

3. oh look it's the practically useless Tim Kaine coming out of his hole for a few seconds lol nt

[Morning Dew]

7. Did he see his shadow?

:rofl:

[chill_wind]

4. Excellent framing! Something all too lacking in the Dem Party

too much of the time. Good for Kaine.

When we learn to shrink a lot more of our own most critical messages to the size of bumper stickers, we'll be a lot better off. Americans have the attention span of gnats.

[frazzled]

5. Oh, snap. /nt

[Soylent Brice]

6. i just forwarded this to a few Rs here in the office.

tee hee.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Tim Kaine is an anti equality bigot

Who helped strip all of the bits of fairness for GLBT families out of the 'reform for some' bill in order to honor his religion, which is apparently based upon each person judging his neighbors and making sure that the minorities you do not like are not allowed equal rights under the law.
Kaine is an anti equality, religionist, hypocritical wet blanket. He pops out occasionally to take credit for the work of his betters and the rank and file.

[chill_wind]

9. And none of that should be put aside.

I still like the punch in the soundbyte he came out with. Republicans (and half-Republicans, I guess) are typically so much better with the punches. I wish we were quoting some better guy too at the moment, like Grayson or Weiner.